


Laws and Love

by orphan_account



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Hiatus, Post-Canon, always social problems, cops perhaps breaking laws?, hopps' pov, inter-species phobias, more tags to come, probably painful later, social problems?, sort of an au?, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 06:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6317659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set six months after, Officers Hopps and Wilde are back to work after the holidays, determined to fight crime in their wonderful city of Zootopia once again. Set in Hopps' POV, the two friends seem to be at a bit of a tipping point- will they become something more? Or will the legal system and society squish any romanticized ideas?<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story presumes that this is the events of Zootopia took place in roughly August, and it is six months later, in January.
> 
> I genuinely appreciate any sort of critique anyone can give, specifically the objective, respectful critiques. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I'm excited to push out the next few chapters!
> 
> I have no idea how long I project this to be, but each chapter should be around 1,500 to 2,000 words. Perhaps 10 chapters? We'll see, but thank you for reading in advance!

The holidays were great.

No really, they were.

Being back in Bunnyburrow was fantastic, I hadn't gotten the chance to really reconnect with my family in seemingly ages, and my new position on the force hadn't given me a ton of time off. In fact, I had sort of saved all of my days off specifically for the holidays, which were a requirement in my family to attend. Mom always made fantastic carrot cakes, and Dad always made his way around to all of my siblings and I, especially to those of us who had already left the farm (there were only a small few of us who did). Although I had managed to make it back home a few times since I continued my work at the ZPD, going back home really felt like stepping through a wormhole. All my brothers and sisters crammed into our small house, it really felt like I was a kid all over again. It was pretty nice. (I still creamed my siblings in a game of duck duck grey duck. Still the reigning champ.)

This year was a little different, however, before I had even left Nick and I had several conversations about Bunnyburrow and the holidays. Mostly what I got out of those conversations was something similar to 'I haven't had a family to go home to for years, and I'm entirely alright with that'. Although that's not surprising for Nick, I decided to invite him along anyways.

It wasn't like I was going to leave him _alone_ for the holidays, that's just rude of anyone to do.

But anyways. I brought him along. My parents weren't surprised whatsoever, but I did tell them. For the rest of my family, it was odd for them to adjust, even after my work with the police department and the media. I was a little hesitant the entire time, I had so many siblings with so many opinions. Not to mention the mere stress from work just piling up like it had been. Nick seemed to think it was entirely fine, laid back as usual, but even his partner could tell something was a little bit up.

In summary, the world didn't fall apart. There were only a few tense moments between one of my brothers, wondering what _he_ was doing here, until my entirely conservative parents explained all of it to him. It was a relief to see my parents switch their views on so many different subjects, it felt like only last year that they were talking about the Grey's as if they were lowlifes. Probably because they were, last year. Changing my parents' hearts were easy, they could hear me talk for hours on end. My 275 siblings' hearts, however was an entirely different story. Zootopia had changed, but it sometimes felt that all the way back home, things barely moved.

* * *

**Monday, January 4**

That was the least of my worries walking back into the ZPD Monday morning. Life had settled into a casual flow, a schedule that felt natural and normal. Well, as natural as a police job got. When we weren't on a case, my life was uniform and square, just like I liked it. I woke up early, every morning. Nick met me outside of my apartment building (he lived merely a block away) at 7:15 sharp, he was surprisingly precise every morning and rarely ever missed. The next 45 minutes was spent getting breakfast, coffee and purchasing any sort of doughnut that Clawhauser desired that day. This was my little slice of heaven, normality. Sure, I am continually changing, my randomizing opinions driving Nick nuts, but even a bit of normality felt good.

"You ready for a new year, Carrots?" Nick stepped into the cruiser only moments after I hopped in myself, after receiving our daily patrols, having been told that it was mildly surprising that all of the current cases were taken. The warmth of the car made my nose twitch a little. The crisp air of winter often bit at my nose and stung my eyes a little, but I never let it bother me, it was never like the biting snow of the tundra district.

I chuckled slightly. He obviously hadn't been out late last night- he was more chipper than a normal occasion. "Of course. Ready to lose the Officer of the Year award to yours truly?"

"Never," He shot back, his smirking per usual. We were off.

Neither one of us had a chance at this past year's Officer of the Year award- that was apparent. Even my dramatic turn of events earlier hadn't earned me that, but I would rather have someone else who spent some serious time in the ZPD earn it above me. However, the past year's award itself was going to be presented on Friday at the 'end of the year ball'. Clawhauser had informed both of us it wasn't anything to particularly fuss about, mostly just posh tuxedos and champagne. He did have quite a few comments about the food, however. I'd surely be going to him for opinions on what to eat.

"So whaddya think about that ball on Friday?" I piped up as we rounded yet another corner; it was always the most boring part of work, driving around endlessly. I had to admit that I was a little more nervous than I'd ever say aloud. Not only was I the only bunny on the force, but I was one of very few women as well. Going in a suit would make me blend in, but unfortunately society deemed it appropriate for women to dress in something a little more...  _showy._

"The real question is: Have I been thinking about it? And the answer to that is no. Not at all." Nick's aviators sat naturally on his nose, but I could tell he was going to start poking fun at any moment.

"Mmmhm-"

"You're a bad liar, Carrots."

I could only see him out of the corner of my eye and every inch of me wanted to slap him. "What?"

"You heard me: you're a bad liar."

"What part of me asking that question makes me a bad liar?"

"You asked that question intentionally to express your opinion." He looked outside of the window as if nothing weird was going on. "You're trying to act like you don't care. That's my act."

I was genuinely confused by what he was saying, getting at- "What do you even mean? I'm so confused."

He looked back at me with that stupid smirk, I could tell merely out of the corner of my eye. "You could always just admit that you're a girl and you secretly like dressing up and the whole grandiose of Friday."

"What?!" I almost scoffed at his assumption, now even more lost.

"It's obvious, Carrots. You're a girl. Most girls like dressing up and balls and all that trashy romantic jazz, and it's obviously on your mind. Sort of funny."

"Just because I'm a girl-"

"-doesn't mean that you have any particular likes or dislikes yes Carrots, we've been over this." I could almost hear his eyes rolling at this speech again. "You brought it up. I'm simply stating a matter of facts. You think the idea of a ball is 'fun' and 'romantic'."

Was that the scent of my cheek fur burning? Yes. Yes it was. "I- I am  _not_ going to this ball for romantic intentions, Wilde, if you think I have this in my head-"

I was cut off by his uproar, making my cheeks burn even more and wishing I hadn't even mentioned the topic in the first place. "You're kidding. I got it right?" He made the dramatic effect of removing his sunglasses to wipe a tear from his eye. "Aww, the cute widdle bunny likes fairy tales!"

"Nicholas, I will crash this car if you continue," My grip on the steering wheel tightened, my tone mildly serious. I'd never crash a car in the first place, much less a car that belonged to the city.

 He relaxed back into his seat, smirk still obviously planted on his face. Nick was glad he won and he wasn't afraid to show it. "Reeelaaaax, wouldya Carrots? Chief's gonna hear this on our tapes and he's gonna skin you alive."

I had forgotten all about the tapes. 6 months later and the concept of continually being recorded was still a new concept. I sighed loudly, reiterating what I felt. "They recorded this entire conversation on tape."

Nick didn't see it as a surprise, but nothing came as a surprise to Nicholas Piberius Wilde, or it certainly seemed like it some days. He merely chuckled. "I'd be more concerned that Chief's gonna hear that you're threatening to destroy public property than your own personal affairs."

As much as I tried to ignore Nick, our banter often continued late into the day. This happened every day. Day after day. For the past 6 months.

Well, until that Friday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Friday, January 8**

I would never let Nick know exactly how right he was, despite the fact that I knew that he knew that I knew he was right.

And he was  _really_ right.

Mom used to tell us all stories of daring tales of knights and maidens, where the knight slays the dragon with his trusty sidekick and gets the girl? Well, I always imagined myself as the knight, going on a grand adventure for love of some kind. Wilde was my sidekick, my best friend, always there to be trusted in any sort of circumstance. I just hadn't found my maiden- wait a sec, that isn't right. Matron? No... whatever a male maiden* was. And probably since I had slain the dragon, it was time for me to find someone.

And what a better chance than at an event where I tried to look mildly decent?

I had it set in my mind I was going to find some intelligent, sassy, and most likely dorky bunny, like I had been planning since the age of 12. Like  _every_ bunny does. I slipped on the emerald dress my mom gave me over the holidays, made specifically for this. I was surprised it turned out so well, the dresses of my childhood were not so... elegant. To say the least. I was mildly surprised, then again my older sister Susan is incredibly skilled with this whole 'homemaking' thing, particularly with making clothes. As my grandma would say, 'she'll make a good wife someday'. (Note: I was never told that.) It was weird, even after an (albeit short) day of work, I could actually be decently comfortable in my own skin. Being a tiny, female prey on the force made it rather difficult to find my place, but for once I was rather alright with standing out. I looked at myself once more in the mirror before hearing the subtle beep of my phone.

> _**Nick:** Where are you?_

 My face scrunched instinctively out of a bit of confusion. I quickly typed out my response before going straight back to getting ready.

> _**Me:** What do you mean?_

I sighed in the mirror, realizing there wasn't much more I could do. Bunnies weren't exactly the height of being known for their beauty standards, and I just wasn't an exception to this rule. I spotted the typing bubble pop up on my phone, before remembering when Nick and I were planning on going to the ball. I hoped I hadn't lost track of time...

> _**Nick:** We decided on meeting at 7:15?_

Right. Yep. Darn it. I replied with a quick  _Sorry!_ before gathering a few things in a small clutch I had picked up a few days ago. Phone, ID, a few bucks, lipstick, an extra mag? I chuckled merely at the thought, hoping the gun strapped to my right leg would be enough. One could never be too prepared, right? I rushed downstairs, glad it wasn't rainy as I stepped outside. Nick looked like he had been waiting forever, he now seemed to be scrolling through something on his phone.

He looked up immediately and his face brightened, his usual smirk taking half the time it normally did. "You clean up nice, Wilde," I remarked, waiting for him to fall into stride with me as I began to walk. I may have sounded mildly sarcastic, but I meant it. It was a plain black tux (he may have looked slightly uncomfortable with the whole up-to-the-neck thing) but he looked nice.

"As do you, Hopps." He called from a few feet back. "And may I ask... Where do you think you're going?"

I stopped and turned around, he'd barely moved. "Uhhmm, to the Annual Zootopia Police Department Ball?" I wiggled my finger mildly in the direction of the station.

He laughed, now leaning on a taxi that I just didn't notice before. "For the record, Cottontail, the ball isn't at the police station, or Chief would  _flip._ It's-" He pointed towards in probably the exact opposite direction- "thataway. Now, get in the taxi before I get in and we drive off without you." He stood by the door, as if he was waiting for me to open the door.

I chuckled, finding my way into the taxi. "Nicholas Wilde, are you taking me as your date?" He only arched an eyebrow and laughed.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever makes you feel better at night, Carrots."

The seats were some sort of old leather, worn thin over the years. Once the taxi got going, it was incredible. What would have looked like a normal moonlit night seemed to merely explode under my sheer excitement. The taxi driver in front of us was a quiet old raccoon with a clever small smile, he looked as if he had never hurt a fly his entire life.

I looked back over to Nick, who already looked like he was dozing off staring out the other window. I couldn't help but wonder a little bit of what could have happened had either one of us been the same species. My mind often floated to these random places, but I hadn't truly thought about it until as of very recently. I had grown up with the idea that you could be whomever you desired in Zootopia. And I wasn't wrong, but it took a little more work and courage than anyone could have imagined. But the idea of being  _with_ whomever you wanted? Now that was a new barrier she hadn't even thought of. Even falling in love with a hare was looked down on in bunny-culture, but not even another prey? Often those animals who you heard of 'falling in love' with different species were laughed at. I never fully understood why, it was one of those things I just was told to not do as a child.

I quickly shook the idea out of my head. I had broken enough social boundaries for a lifetime, I didn't need to add a law onto it. Besides, Officers were supposed to  _follow_ the laws, not destroy them. Despite the fact I had willingly crushed so many social taboos even to get to becoming best friends with Nick was enough- but my heart never ceased to do anything but jump to the most emotional solution. Besides, it wasn't like he'd actually want to do that sort of emotional mushy-gushy stuff anyways.

"How far away are we, Nick?" I think I cut him off mid-sentence, he was most likely explaining why he was right about something. I was in my thoughts again, not like that would surprise him.

He sighed. I really did cut him off. "We're a block away, would you mind dropping us off here?" The last part was directed specifically to the cab driver. "I don't want to get caught up in fancy limos."

Instinctively, I pulled out my clutch, grabbing a few bucks. Nick protested. "I'm paying for the cab."

"If I let you do everything they really will think you're my date," I sung a little, handing him a 5.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the money aggressively. "Fine." The cab rolled to a stop, and we paid the quiet gent, and were on our way.

It only took me a few steps to realize what Nick meant by getting caught up in the limos. I was mildly thankful he knew about it- people being dropped off at the entrance looked like they had been waiting for nearly a half hour. That and I didn't particularly mind walking. The closer we got, the grander and more showy it got, my eyes growing wide with sheer amazement. It didn't take long for Nick to notice- he was already laughing. "Not like good ol' Bunnyburrow, now is it?" Speechless, all I could do is smile and nod my head. Even after settling in here, the city was huge and complex, and never ever ceased to surprise me. There were spotlights that touched the skies above, and so many camera flashes. It was a  _charity event for the city._ Not an awards show.

"You know, when I graduated from the academy," I said quietly to my partner, "I didn't really expect this."

Wilde shot me a look. "You're kidding, right? Carrots, there are 6 photographers there. I'd bet half my salary that three of them are from one paper."

It looked like a lot more than just six photographers, but I counted. Just to make sure. "There are seven," I smirked back, secretly feeling a little bit better now that I realized that over half the crowd was guests.

* * *

"Some party, huh?"

Nick and I were now lounging off to the side, both of us sipping on a bit weak cider.

"No kidding," I countered back to his remark, now wishing that I hadn't thought the 'grandiose' of such a party would be in the slightest bit entertaining.

The music seemingly droned on for hours, and although Nick and I were good friends with people in the department, entering conversations with other mammals twice your size was not exactly what most mammals wanted to do with their Friday evening. Besides, sticking next to your best friend was obviously way more entertaining. They had already presented the award to some other Tiger from a different precinct, everyone clapped, it was good, yay.

"How much do you think that one spent on his bow tie? A couple hundred?"

"Which one, Nick? You can't just ambiguously point-"

"That one. With the gaudy- goodness, what color is that? Blood orange?"

I shot him a look, finding it rather odd to not see him look either entirely casual or in his uniform. It was a nice change. "Did you really just say  _blood orange?"_

"Yes. Yes I did. You can't even see his bow tie anymore. Nobody should let a tiger wear that color. It should be illegal."

"I'll hold you to it. Next time you're in a position where you can change the law, I'll make sure that's the first thing you change."

"Good," He replied shortly, the ambiance making its way over. Sometimes having rather sensitive hearing was a burden, larger mammals often couldn't hear nearly as well. It didn't take a rocket scientist to remember that Nick wasn't probably having the time of his life either. "Hopps, you're either planning a masterful escape or wishing there was somebunny else for you." Nick didn't even glance at me as he broke the silence.

I sighed. There was no getting around Nick. "Or both. Mostly the former. But now that you brought it up, the latter as well."

"There's a door out back over on the left side of the room. As long as you don't find some twinkle in your eye, we should be all good." He was so nonchalant about the whole idea, casually suggesting something as simple as walking out.

"So we just leave early?"

"Mmmhmm."

I remembered the comment from earlier. "Won't that, you know, look a little  _weird?_ "

He snorted. "If you're suggesting inconspicuous illegal activity, I hardly doubt you're the kind for it, _sweetheart,_ " Both of us knew that he was only aiming to bother me. And both of us knew how incredibly talented he was at it. He jumped off his chair, making his way over to the left-side exit door.

I hopped off, and was right after him. I had to admit I could feel every inch of my fur burning with mere annoyance. It was incredibly hard not to make a scene- all I wanted to do was to tell him just how wrong he was- but I had the growing fear he was enjoying the silence all too much.

He propped open the door for me, almost to show off how much he was smirking. "After you," He said with a sly gesture, his grin out to his ears in sheer victory.

If Nick Wilde didn't think I could break laws, I was going to prove it to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Funny story, there is actually no male form of the word 'maiden'. Probably the closest form is bachelor.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading. More to come!  
> I'll be making edits to the description as more of the story is revealed, but the title will remain the same.


End file.
